How to Ease Tension With Acupressure by Guest Blogger Ben Stanford

How To Ease Tension With Acupressure

Acupuncture, which is a form of Traditional Chinese Medicine states that there are 12 meridians that contain over a total of 107 acupuncture points on the body. These meridians link channels through nerves, muscles and joints to allow energy to flow freely.

The acupuncture philosophy is one that enables a person to be treated holistically as opposed to easing individual symptoms. Modern studies have indicated that acupuncture stimulates our nervous system signaling, which, can increase the healing rate in our bodies.

Acupuncture points are sensitive when there is feedback through the autonomic nervous system. Your brain communicates with this system. Fear, frustrations and other stresses all play a role in sensitizing a specific point with acupuncture.

Stress and tension can cause cardiovascular changes, as well as headaches, fatigue and other chronic diseases. The greater the conflict with your particular stressors, the greater the tension on each acupressure point.

If you don’t believe in tension examine yourself next time you are stopped at a red traffic light when you are in a rush and the car behind you starts blowing their horn. Did you notice a rise in tension? A sudden clenching in your gut? Grinding of your teeth? Of course you have, most people can relate to this. It is a normal reaction as the body responds to an emotional tension.

A quick technique for handling tensions

Reach back to the base of your skull; place the third finger of each hand into the hollow at the base of your skull. Rotate and massage them around and notice the tenderness.

Now move to the right of the hollow, note the bump, it will be tender or even painful. Now, repeat the process on the opposite side.

Now with your head bowed forward, run each hand firmly down the back of your neck towards your shoulders, repeat this process five times.

This should help release your tension in a few seconds after the acupressure points have been activated. Check with your health practitioner if you need help locating these specific points.

How to run a tension test on yourself

Test one

Insert your right finger into the hollow behind your right ear lobe. If the pressure from your finger hurts as your massage the spot shows you are holding tensions. It is an acupuncture point awaiting therapy.

Try on the other side of the neck, is it less painful?

Test two

In a seated position, lay your head towards one shoulder, of the exposed side run your fingers firmly down the heavy muscle extending from the base of the skull to the shoulder. Note the little bumps in the muscle. Locate each of these. Each is a point of tension and fatigue. Repeat the process on the opposite side.

Now you have noticed the tension areas on your body, acupressure each of the knots until the tension disappears under your fingertips.

Now move up on the muscle base of the skull to its insertion. You may find a hardened tense bump. These are also key spots; you can sink your third finger into each one by one. This may not be a blissful feeling, though once you apply acupressure you are on your way to healing the tension.

How to treat facial points with acupressure

The first step is to rub your hands together; this gets the hands more sensitive to feeling.

Procedure 1

Rub the palms of your hands briskly up and down the side of your face with a scrubbing motion. It is a shotgun technique, which puts pressure on all the facial meridians. You can stimulate many acupuncture points this way.

Procedure 2

With the fingertips of your third finger, make tiny rotating motions at the inside corners of the eyes.

Repeat at the outside corners of your eyes.

Then go below the eye

Then move to the bridge of the nose, squeeze and pull, then go below the nose to the side

Make circular motions

Procedure 3

Plant all your fingertips in a straight line across the top of your chin and jaw. Massage the area in unison.

From here go to the side of each jaw and repeated

Procedure 4

Gun massage – with the fingertips massage the upper and lower jaw.

Eyelid pinch – with the index finger and thumb grasping the upper lashes and pulling the lid up and away from the eyeball.

Ear vibration – by grasping the top of each ear with the thumb and index finger pulling upward as if you were going to lift yourself from the ground. Then grasp the earlobe and pull downwards. Now bend the ear forward with the third finger and with the tip of the index finger tap the cartilage

With these techniques you can do at your desk at work, the train or bus or when sitting at home, you are preparing yourself for a wonderful day with no cost involved, maximum results with minimum effort.

About the author:

Ben Stanford

Starting his practice in 2003, Ben’s been continuing studies at Physiotherapy Victoria and has expanded his scope to include yoga, acupuncture, naturopathic medicine and applied kinesiology.